Definition of FTP

There are many ways to transfer data from computer to computer over the Internet, but one of the most common is via the file transfer protocol or FTP. Usually, when people say FTP, they're actually referring to a program that uses the protocol to transfer files. These programs are known as FTP clients.

Common uses of FTP clients include transferring files from a computer to a web server i.e. updating a website and transferring files from a work computer to a home computer. On the corporate side, FTP is used to send large amounts of data to vendors for processing or to backup centers.

Although other techniques for sharing data have emerged in recent years, FTP still remains the simplest and one of the most reliables methods.